The Archives

Everything written by Ben Sperry on law, economics, and more

“FTC: Technology & Reform” Agenda Available for 12/16 Event with Current/Former FTC Commissioners Wright, Muris & Kovacic

As it begins its hundredth year, the FTC is increasingly becoming the Federal Technology Commission. The agency’s role in regulating data security, privacy, the Internet of Things, high-tech antitrust and patents, among other things, has once again brought to the forefront the question of the agency’s discretion and the sources of the limits on its power.Please join us this Monday, December ... “FTC: Technology & Reform” Agenda Available for 12/16 Event with Current/Former FTC Commissioners Wright, Muris & Kovacic

FTC: Technology & Reform Project Launches 12/16 with Conference Keynoted by Commissioner Wright

Please join us at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC on December 16th for a conference launching the year-long project, “FTC: Technology and Reform.” With complex technological issues increasingly on the FTC’s docket, we will consider what it means that the FTC is fast becoming the Federal Technology Commission. The FTC: Technology & Reform Project ... FTC: Technology & Reform Project Launches 12/16 with Conference Keynoted by Commissioner Wright

Senator Markey’s Do Not Track Kids Act of 2013 Raises the Question: What’s the Point of COPPA?

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) continues to be a hot button issue for many online businesses and privacy advocates. On November 14, Senator Markey, along with Senator Kirk and Representatives Barton and Rush introduced the Do Not Track Kids Act of 2013 to amend the statute to include children from 13-15 and add ... Senator Markey’s Do Not Track Kids Act of 2013 Raises the Question: What’s the Point of COPPA?

Google: Great Deal or Greatest Deal?

Critics of Google have argued that users overvalue Google’s services in relation to the data they give away.  One breath-taking headline asked Who Would Pay $5,000 to Use Google?, suggesting that Google and its advertisers can make as much as $5,000 off of individuals whose data they track. Scholars, such as Nathan Newman, have used this ... Google: Great Deal or Greatest Deal?

Will the Real Broadband Heroes Please Stand Up?

Susan Crawford recently received the OneCommunity Broadband Hero Award for being a “tireless advocate for 21st century high capacity network access.” In her recent debate with Geoffrey Manne and Berin Szoka, she emphasized that there is little competition in broadband or between cable broadband and wireless, asserting that the main players have effectively divided the markets. As ... Will the Real Broadband Heroes Please Stand Up?

How the FCC Will Lose on Net Neutrality

Today’s oral argument in the D.C Circuit over the FCC’s Net Neutrality rules suggests that the case — Verizon v. FCC — is likely to turn on whether the Order impermissibly imposes common carrier regulation on broadband ISPs. If so, the FCC will lose, no matter what the court thinks of the Commission’s sharply contested ... How the FCC Will Lose on Net Neutrality

Constitutional Dynamism: Responding to Tim Wu on “Machine Speech”, “Opportunism”, and First Amendment

William Buckley once described a conservative as “someone who stands athwart history, yelling Stop.” Ironically, this definition applies to Professor Tim Wu’s stance against the Supreme Court applying the Constitution’s protections to the information age. Wu admits he is going against the grain by fighting what he describes as leading liberals from the civil rights ... Constitutional Dynamism: Responding to Tim Wu on “Machine Speech”, “Opportunism”, and First Amendment